Following on from the excellent responses on this thread I am considering a new bike.
Requirements are:
Available in a size big enough for my 6' 5" height and 15st. weight.
Enough travel to cope with the greens, blues and reds of Les Gets, Chatel, Morzine and XC in the surrounding mountains...despite my low finesse wheels on the floor style I manage to use all 150mm of travel on my existing Marin 😉
Budget is £1,200 max for new, half that for used, but my preference is for new.
Needs to be available in the next 2 weeks.
The bike is a luxury, it will get ridden for a few weeks a year, once overseas for a week and then the odd trip to the Peaks, Lakes, Wales etc. I have another bike more appropriate to my local riding.
The obvious choice is probably the Bossnut Evo which with YHA discount I think is available for £900 and it comes in a silly XL gate size, with a seat post tube that is almost identical in length to my old Marin which fits me just fine with a 150mm dropper.
Another contender is the Vitus Escarpe Deore 2017 from CRC which is £999, one of the reviews causes me concern about whether it will be big enough, I think TallPaul of this forum also has a lot of seat post showing on the same size bike and is an inch or so shorter than me, the seat post is about 25mm shorter than the Bossnut...will an XL fit?
Boardman’s appear not to be an option as they only go up to size large.
Paulcycles don't have anything in budget.
Any other suggestions?
You'll be fine on the XL Escarpe or Sommet - at 6ft 3in I have about 1-2" of seatpost showing below the collar on the 150mm Brand X dropper, it's nowhere near the minimum insertion mark. Plus if you've got uplifts you'll not be worrying about perfect saddle height for climbing!
Shame your budget isn't a little higher as you can get a Sommet for £1530 with the BC discount, there'll be some new deals on Friday (the red hot week long deals on CRC) and there's normally been a Vitus FS bike in there each week, this week it's the domineer DH bike.
A Decathlon jobbie?
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-am-100s-full-suspension-mountain-bike-275-id_8407469.html
What do you currently have?
I rode this last year for a fornight in LesGets, Morzine etc. There was much pleasure in overtaking more than a few gnar-bikes with stormtroopers aboard...
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1754/42703118472_ecd727b843_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1754/42703118472_ecd727b843_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/284wDnj ]Sanderson Breath Les Gets[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4309/35908914861_342b5461db_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4309/35908914861_342b5461db_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/WH9zkK ]Les Gets, Geneva and Paris 2017[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/35908914791_7ed036b67b_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/35908914791_7ed036b67b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/WH9zjx ]Les Gets, Geneva and Paris 2017[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
Is that last photo the aftermath of overcooking a corner matt?
@ta11pau1 thanks for posting, I hoped you would 😀
My maths isn't great, but I'm calculating that you've probably got ~200mm of visible seatpost when extended. I'll be adding another 50mm or so and will end with ~250mm seatpost showing which sounds like a lot. Does my maths sound about right?
Perhaps I need to start a ''how much seatpost is to much' thread 😉
I'll hold fire on making a decision in the hope that CRC have something more tempting in next week's sale.
I was actually really interested in the 29er version but the ~£1,800 version has been out of stock for months and CRC don't know when they'll be getting anymore...I could have been tempted to spend more for a 29er...possibly 😉
For a 2 weeks alps trip and not much else? Head off to pink bike classifieds something nice and big travel and off you go
@Matt currently take a 2007 Marin Rock Springs and have a great time riding it since I purchased it used in 2012.
There is plenty more detail in the thread linked in my first post.
I'm still trying to rationalise whether I'd have more fun on a new bike, or whether I'm starting to believe the marketing 😀
And I'm sure you'd be faster than me whatever I was riding! 😉
@ta11pau1 thanks for posting, I hoped you would
My maths isn’t great, but I’m calculating that you’ve probably got ~200mm of visible seatpost when extended. I’ll be adding another 50mm or so and will end with ~250mm seatpost showing which sounds like a lot. Does my maths sound about right?
Perhaps I need to start a ”how much seatpost is to much’ thread
I’ll hold fire on making a decision in the hope that CRC have something more tempting in next week’s sale.
I was actually really interested in the 29er version but the ~£1,800 version has been out of stock for months and CRC don’t know when they’ll be getting anymore…I could have been tempted to spend more for a 29er…possibly
The brand X XL specs are on the CRC website so it's easy to work out the size, it's 211mm from rails to the bottom of the collar, plus the 30mm of post below the collar i have showing (just slightly more than the collar width). So with another 1-2" inside leg that's probably another 25-50mm, which is plenty. Have a look at Sam Hill's bikes, he has similar post showing.
If you get the escarpe VR 27 or 29er version, the Deore brakes are good but the front lacks a bit of power, so get a 203mm rotor on there before you go (merlin have the RT66 at under £20). Maybe a swap to sintered pads too.
I think I've actually lowredl it slightly since this picture.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/908/40061047990_38e294c1e7_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/908/40061047990_38e294c1e7_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2434kRY ]IMG_20180503_171254[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/tallpaul_s/ ]Paul Sims[/url], on Flickr
@joshvegas - more a throw down and take pic of eldest_oab on the corner...although I had overcooked one corner just prior to that!
@mrbotticelli - don't believe the hype. Just be prepared to back off or pick careful lines a few times when FS bikes steamrolled through. I have to say at the end of the 10 days, no rain, the braking bumps were doing my feet and rear wheel in (I broke two spokes on same run). I was more having fun just being out there - couldn't care less about being fastest, I am not a big jumper at all, and much of the runs there start becoming huuuuge jumps if taken at full-on speed....
For a 2 weeks alps trip and not much else? Head off to pink bike classifieds something nice and big travel and off you go
Agreed, Time was you could buy something like a Norco A-Line, Kina Stinky or Spesh Bighit for £500-£700, put a bit of TLC into it, use it for 2 weeks and sell it again, you might lose a bit, get back what you paid, or even make a few quid.
They weren't amazing bikes per-se, but in their natural environment they were a awful lot better than a trail bike (at the time).
These days 'trail' bikes have gotten a lot better and the trails in Morzine / Les Gets more accessible, but I think it's still a decent plan.
@6079smithw thanks, interesting but unfortunately nothing close to my size 🙁
@ta11pau1 thanks for the clarification and the photos. If that much seat tube showing is good enough for Sam Hill (and you!) then it must be OK. 🙂
@P-Jay I don't think I need or want a full on DH bike, the group I'm riding with are all on 140mm to 160mm trail/all mountain/enduro type bikes and I've kept up with and ridden the same stuff with them before on the Marin....and the Marin was a cheap secondhand sell it when I get home purchase...that was 6 years ago and I'm not sure I've got space for another. 🙂
@Matt_outandabout I've survived 5 different trips to Morzine, Les Gets and Chatel on the Marin, and its forks, brakes and wheels are all better than on the first trip. I've survived, in part, because I do slow down, attempt to pick my line and try and keep my wheels on the floor. Like you part of the joy is just being there enjoying the riding with non-competitive friends, even with the most bling bike I'm not going to be catching huge air and challenging any KOMs.
Need to get out for ride on Marin and possibly sling my leg over a Bossnut just to see how this 'new geometry' feels.
Happy days.
Imo the S/L/L geometry is fab - noticeably more stable at speed or steep... I got my new one the week I got back, match, rather than have it for Alps...
@Matt_outandabout happy days indeed! 😀.
Can't wait to be back out there in less than four weeks.
What long, low and slack option did you go for? How do you find it for normal riding?
Waiting for the Weekend to go and look at a Bossnut and to ride the Marin, but CRC have confused me further by getting some of the Escarpe 29 VR bikes back in stock.
Intuitively it feels like at 6' 5" I should be the ideal candidate for a 29er and the Vitus seems like a great price for what it is...but it makes a mockery of my £1,200 budget.
Anyone on here ride a 29er version of the Escarpe?
One of my bikes is the Bossnut V2. Normally I buy the bits and pieces in winter sale and assemble my own "custom bikes" - for me the Bossnut was a bit of research project. Is a 1 k fulls suspension bike possible...?
Bad news: pre-assembly of the bike is lousy. I spent half a day to take the stuff apart again and to assemble it correctly.
Good news: from this day on the bike was fun. The Calibre guys got the design right.
Fork: I struggle a bit with the RockShox Sektor fork - this fork only behaves good "below" 80 psi. For my weight and style of riding this pressure is low. But when increasing the pressure the fork feels like a piece of wood. Will take the fork apart soon - guess RockShox put too little oil and grease in.
Normal procedure: after every ride I check if there is something loose (shock mount got loose once. But caught it in time).
When I bike with my biking pals on fast technical trails I use my 150/150 all mountain bike with 2.6 inch rubber. This bike feels stiff, safe and is very fast. Without "competition" I bike the Bossnut V2 on the same trails. It's a bit slower but same fun. From a certain speed on the bike is a bit "wobbly" - that's the limit then. But there are no bad surprises and I guess there will be hardly a better bike for 1 k around. I'am not a friend at all of the Formula hubs. Formula hubs is mass produced crap and no spare parts are available for the hubs. When they fail I will change to DT Swiss 370.
GoOutDoors has for little money some small service kits available for the rear suspension. Bearings, some custom bolts and others.
Overall: Pre-Assembly quality, paint, is "cheap bike" like. Fun level, overall design quality is very high. For me the Bossnut V2 is not a "wonder Enduro bike". It's a neat trail bike.
You will have fun with it as long as you have all the "bike assembly tools" and as long as you test your bike quite hard (and fix the small stuff) BEFORE you go onto your trip.
FORGET Buying a bike - just hire one once you get there. this way you dont have to worry about what happens to your rims or brakes and you can fly there easy peasy!
the first time I went I drove a took my bike - but after 2 days I put it away and hired the latest downhill cannondale! and had the blast of my life, I took it back to the shop each evening and they cleaned and serviced it ready for the next day!
I have been bavck 3 times now and Fly Hire is defo the way to go
@andreasrhoen thanks for your response, I'd seen some of your other positive post about the Bossnut 🙂 Not sure I recall seeing what 150/150 bike you have, do I recall seeing that you were going to build the frame up yourself? What did you go for? Happy doing my own maintenance and have better brakes and dropper post that I could move across from my old Marin.
@fotorat I've considered the hire option and have ridden with guys who have hired and they have never felt at home on bikes they aren't familiar with, riding terrain that is very unlike our local riding. I also, rather sadly, calculated the cost of hiring and even with the cost of flying with the bike I'd have spent twice as much over the last 6 years and that doesn't count weekends away in Wales, Lakes and Peaks. I do have a friend who did a day on a full DH bike and said it was a great laugh! 🙂
I see that they have released a full production big brother to the Bossnut today, the BBB.
just out of curiosity, how does trail grading in the alps compare to here? The same? different?
@seosamh77 IMO the bike park trails are steeper and longer than in the UK and full of braking bumps which are hard on bike and rider. The closest thing I've experienced in the UK is BPW. Because of the lifts you spend huge parts of your day just riding flatout down hill which is great but far harder work than it sounds.
What long, low and slack option did you go for?
Mid-way long, low, slack....
Nail Trail 7
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/39577849085_d4cc93ddc6_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/39577849085_d4cc93ddc6_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/23imPEn ]Brilliant, chilly Comrie with Ben[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt Robinson[/url], on Flickr
just out of curiosity, how does trail grading in the alps compare to here? The same? different?
Varied!
Day 1 in Les Gets, first trail is an easy 'Blue' - diverted. Seems it is OK to divert down tough 'Red'.
Day 2 in Morzine - seems the Red here is basically a whoopy blue, with a few features that you can avoid that take it into Red grade.
Day 3 natural trails on the GR5(?) were just fabulous rocky fun, all rideable and about red grade.
Day 3 other side of Morzine - we were warned about a Red down into Lindarets being 'super gnar' and 'difficult' - best flow trail of the week IMO! Yes by the end my brakes were getting a tad hot and longer to slow me down.
Day 4 Morzine and took the Pleney DH trail after previous days 'ah, not that bad' to discover WC standard DH trail that all but fried my brakes and nerves....
We took to riding trails more like natural trails - ride at the speed you can see, walk anything you are not comfortable with. I made it down everything on a steel short travel HT...
@matt_outandabout that looks great...the bike and the surroundings
@mrbotticelli:
What did you go for?
Got the last 20 inch frame size end of last year. At the same time bike-components had this crazy FOX sale. The bike has a 150 mm Fox fork and a fox damper. With all other stuff I went the "very low cost route". 2 x 10 Deore 11...42 and 24/32 front, Deore brakes, 35 mm FunWorks rims, DT 370 hubs (custom wheels in winter sale from actionsports), 2.6 MagicMary Addix soft front and rear (run them around 19 psi)... total budget for this 150/150 "all mountain bike" a bit less than 1.5 k.
A 27,5 "Plus" bike ... but with 2.6 inch tyres. To get the bits and pieces and to put the bike together was a bit my winter project and research project how good 2.6 inch tyres really are...(well ... they are damned good!!!)
@andreasrhoen thanks for that, interesting winter project 😀
Out of curiosity have you ever looked to see whether the forks on your Bossnut can be adjusted to 140mm on the airshaft? In think both the Sektor on the V2 and the Recon RL on the Evo can be adjusted between 80mm and 140mm depending on spacers.
Be interesting to know how it changes handling and the capability of the Bossnut.
@matt_outandabout I think the Les Gets blue crosses the red dual track near the end and it is easy to end up riding that instead of the blue. I remembering riding it on my first trip and wondering what I'd let myself in for! 😨
You soon get used to it, although I'll continue to give the Pleney a miss.
Two years ago we took a Alps virgin and went to Chatel for the first day as the green Panoramique trail is a great, fun and easy introduction to the bike park...problem was it was shut so we ended up having to ride a red...was quite an introduction to the Alps! 😁
whether the forks on your Bossnut can be adjusted to 140mm on the airshaft
No. Didn't take the fork apart yet. But will do a service soon - there is a lot of friction right now...
Be interesting to know how it changes handling and the capability of the Bossnut.
Will even be better. But the rear shock and the stiffness of the frame will limit the performance. It's a trail bike! Simple stiffness check: I grab the rear rim and the frame and then I flex the rear suspension side to side (I do that also from time to time to check if there is no play in the rear hub).
The flex is o.k. but definitely not overly stiff. A nicer fork will be more fun but won't improve this issue. But for trail biking the Bossnut is really fun!
(Above flex check on "Plus" bikes with 2.8 or 3.0 rubber: many of those expensive bikes are quite terrible with that. Guess because of those strange "Plus" rims? Was one reason I run on my 150/150 bike 2.6 rubber and 35 rims. Makes the whole assembly very stiff. The bike goes downhill like on rails!)